Typically, utilizing a master gaming controller, a gaming machine controls various combinations of devices that allow a player to play a game on the gaming machine and also encourage game play on the gaming machine. For example, a game played on a gaming machine usually requires a player to input money or an indicia of credit into the gaming machine, indicate a wager amount, and initiate game play. These steps require the gaming machine to control input devices, such as bill validators and coin acceptors, to accept money into the gaming machine and recognize user inputs from devices, including key pads, button pads, card readers, and ticket readers, to determine the wager amount, and initiate game play. After game play has been initiated, the gaming machine determines a game outcome, presents the game outcome to the player and may dispense an award of some type depending on the outcome of the game. The operations described above may be carried out on the gaming machine when the gaming machine is operating as a “stand alone” unit or linked in a network of some type to a group of gaming machines.
As technology in the gaming industry progresses, more and more gaming services are being provided to gaming machines via communication networks that link groups of gaming machines to a remote computer, such as a host server, that provides one or more gaming services. As an example, gaming services that may be provided by a remote computer to a gaming machine via a communication network of some type include player tracking, accounting, cashless award ticketing, lottery, progressive games, and progressive games or prizes. These services and features are provided in addition to the games that are available for play on the gaming machines.
The present invention is primarily directed to methods and devices for implementing progressive prize winning modes, referred to herein as “progressive systems.” A progressive system may award a progressive prize in addition to other prizes that may be available due to a game outcome. A progressive system normally includes at least one bank of gaming machines in a particular gaming establishment, such as an individual casino. Each gaming machine has an interface that provides communication between the gaming machine and a central network device, such as a server. The server receives information from each gaming machine regarding, e.g., an indication of play, a wager value, etc. The server determines a progressive pool size (also referred to herein as a progressive pool amount) that accumulates as the gaming machines are played. The accumulated progressive pool amount may be displayed on the participating gaming machines.
The progressive pool continues to accumulate until there is a progressive prize award to a player of a particular gaming machine. In some progressive systems, a percentage of the progressive pool amount may be awarded. Other progressive systems do not allow for a portion of progressive pool amount to be awarded, but instead either the entire progressive pool amount is awarded or no progressive prize is awarded.
Progressive systems have proven to be popular with players of gaming machines and to increase levels of play, particularly when the progressive prize pool becomes large. However, a casino or similar establishment participating in a progressive prize pool may desire to prevent the progressive prize pool from growing too large. Otherwise, the payouts of progressive prizes could produce large and unpredictable changes in cash flow.
In some instances, the progressive system may be a wide area progressive (“WAP”) system, for example a WAP system such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,076, entitled “Progressive Gaming System and Method for Wide Applicability,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. If a casino is participating in a WAP system, the payouts of progressive prizes can be very large. Accordingly, WAP systems can amplify the unpredictable changes in cash flow caused by progressive awards. For the foregoing reasons and other reasons, it would be desirable to provide novel progressive systems that address these and other limitations of the prior art.